Norse By Norse West: The Lost Vikings Return Strategy Guide

PrefaceFor the record, this guide assumes that you've played the
game a couple of times and know the ropes as far as controlling
the characters is concerned (i.e., if it says "move Olaf
left" and there is only a small space through which to move.)
Further, it assumes that you know which items are needed to exit
each level; a good way to avoid any confusion is to pick up everything
you find.

HintsPick up everything! Anything that isn't bolted to the ground
should be in your inventory.

Don't throw items away! If your health is low and you find some
food, it might be tempting to ditch an item that doesn't appear
to be doing anything for you. Don't do it!

Practice each Viking's moves; Erik, Baleog, Olaf, Scorch, and
Fang all have some obvious moves and not-so-obvious moves.

Bull Charge: Great for breaking away walls of crates or stones
that are one deep.

Rocket Boost Jump: You'll find that this is indispensable when
it comes to those not-so-easy-to-reach spots

Olaf

Shield Glide: Hold the big oaf's shield over his head as he falls
and he'll glide as gracefully as a swan (almost).

Fart: This guy's got class! The Fart is perfect for breaking away
stone or crates in the ground and for getting just enough boost
to glide across chasms.

Shrink: Perfect for getting into those tight spaces.

Scorch

Fire: Self-explanatory. Toasts anything in it's path.

Flying/Gliding: Similar in usefulness to Erik's Rocket Boost Jump.

Fang

Climb: Great for scaling walls when everyone else appears to be
earthbound.

Attack: Werewolf-style can of whup-ass.

Level strategiesLevel 1No puzzle here. Move all of your Vikings to the right past
the witch.

Level 2Move Olaf to the right and block the fireballs while everyone
else goes down the ladder Go down and hold the shield overhead
so your teammates can get past the dripping fire.

Level 3The key to solving this level is in utilizing Olaf's shield
correctly. To get the necessary key, you'll have to place Erik
on Olaf's shield and Super Jump up. In addition, Olaf shield is
the key in protecting members of the team from the onslaught of
fireballs.

Level 4Erik's Bull Charge starts this one off and is followed by
a series of Bionic Arm grabs by Baleog. Use Olaf to hunt around
in hard-to-see places for the necessary items to escape the level.

Level 5The key to this level is the proper usage of Baleog and Erik.
Make sure you get the immediately accessible items in the water
with Erik before you have Baleog swing over the chasm. After Baleog
trips the door switch, dive in the water again with Erik to retrieve
the items you'll need to exit the level. Lastly, make sure you
don't overlook the small passageway near the end of the level;
this is one through which Olaf needs to go and grab the necessary
key.

Level 6The stumper in this level is finding out how to get the first
key. The answer is to move Olaf, with the shield over his head,
to the bottom right of the ladder. Then, move Baleog on to of
the shield and use his bionic arm to grab the key. Once you've
freed Fang, there's a small puzzle that involves him climbing
the walls; you'll need to use this ability to grab the elevator
required to bring your teammates up and exit the level. As always,
Baleog is the offensive choice for any and all encounters you
might have.

Level 7After Erik has grabbed the first key, you need to give it
to Olaf if you want to open the door and survive. Use his shield
to black the fireballs coming from the other side. Once you've
made it to the elevator and on your way down, you need to watch
for the fireballs; make sure Olaf is facing left with his shield
in place to defend against them. At the bottom, quickly switch
between Erik (who needs to smash the wall in order to exit) and
Fang (who needs to kill all the baddies.

Level 8Again, your ability to quickly switch between characters is
tested here. After Olaf has returned with the gold key and Erik
and Baleog go down the ladder, use Erik to smash the wall and
quickly switch to Baleog to dispatch the enemies. If you're too
slow, both of them are dead. In addition, when you find the key
that seems to be out of reach, you'll need to use Olaf as a blocker
while Baleog comes up from behind and throws a bionic arm diagonally
upward. Once you've got the key, move everyone to the exit.

Level 9Since Scorch is introduced in this level, a key part of exiting
is the use of his unique abilities. Once you've freed him, use
him to kill the red dragon and the baddie; then fly directly up
and grab the dragon's egg, which you'll need in order to exit.
When you go through the first portal, make sure Olaf goes first
with his shield ready; follow quickly with Scorch to kill the
attacking baddies. Perhaps the biggest challenge in this level
is learning to use the balancing platforms. As a rule, use whoever
can jump (Scorch or Eric) as the variables in the balance equation
and place the other two, one at a time, on the platforms in order
to bring them up.

Level 10The key to this level is the masterful use of Scorch. After
Baleog is in place and Erik has retrieved the scroll and gone
through the teleporter, use Scorch to fly directly above the bridge
that Erik dropped. Go directly up, kill the wizard and push the
block off the platform. Continue all the way down, then go up,
then go to the left. The necessary door switch is all the way
to the left, past the red dragon. Once this is done, the key needed
for exiting will be waiting for Erik near the starting point of
the level.

Level 11The first problem here is figuring out how to unlock the first
lock. You need to place Olaf with his shield overhead just under
the lock, then climb up onto the shield and hit the lock. After
you've gone through that door, you might be wondering where the
red key is. After the first bridge is dropped and Erik moves over
it, look directly overhead; there it is! Use Erik to grab it and
unlock the door while Fang and Olaf take care of the Wizard. The
key to getting past the "three Rock" scenario is the
following
the 1st and 3rd switches will provide safe passage for Erik if
they are hit alternately. When you've made it through the rocks,
swim up the other side of the canal with Erik and break the rocks
blocking your path - don't hit the switch directly above the rocks;
simply jump up and to the right. Use Fang to hit the switch; the
bridge will drop and Erik will have plenty of room to run and
crush the wall to the right.

Level 12As in Level 11, one of the biggest problems here is providing
safe passage through the rock puzzle. Here's the proper sequence:
Hit the middle button 1st, the right switch 2nd, and the left
switch 3rd. If you can't find the magic wand, try taking a look
to the left as you ride the series of air streams upward; after
the switch at the top is flipped, Olaf can go down to the next
platform, shrink, go in, and grab the wand.

Level 13The balancing platforms come into play again. The best way
to get Baleog and Olaf on the platform on the right is as follows:
Using Erik, jump onto the platform on the right, bring it down,
then move Erik of and use him to jump on the left-hand balancing
platform. After you used Erik to clear a path for the air streams,
use Baleog to continue up and kill all the baddies. Once he's
finished, Erik can come up and clear the way for Baleog; then
bring Olaf up. Drop Olaf down first to corner the baddie, then
send Baleog down to kill him and grab the items needed to exit.

Level 14The most essential bit of strategy for this level involves
placement of the bomb that Erik picks up under water. You can
either place it on the crates directly across from the starting
point, or on the crates to the right of the bottom of the elevator.
DO NOT PUT THE BOMB AT THE BOTTOM OF THE ELEVATOR! Place it on
the crates across from the starting point, move into the room,
hit the switch and drop the block down. You'll have to go down
and push the block to the right onto the spikes so Baleog can
go safely over. The next challenges here are the balancing platforms.
In order to successfully use them, you'll have to hang Baleog
by the peg between two platforms, put Olaf on the left platform
and Erik on the right platform. Then swing Baleog over to Erik's
platform; then, you can fart off the platform with Olaf, go left,
down the ladder, and push the block off to the right so it blocks
the fireballs.

Level 15Another new item comes to play here: the see-saw. You'll find
that using this piece of equipment well is essential to beating
the level. Getting Olaf to the top depends on your ability to
place Olaf on the left side of the see-saw and use Baleog to swing
and hit the right side of the see-saw, popping Olaf up into the
air. Once airborne, all you need to do is guide Olaf to the left
and grab onto the ladder. Once you've got everyone up there, you'll
have to decide what the heck to do with them. Assuming that you've
already used Erik to swim all the way over to the left and break
apart all the crates on that side of the ship, you'll need everyone
to move over there by jumping/farting/swinging across the chasm.
Once, there, you'll need to move left over another chasm (the
bottom of which is lined with spikes!). Use Baleog to hit all
the red door switches, then send Olaf off to the right, gliding
down into the room to the right of the flaming rope. That's where
you'll get the hardest-to-find key.

Level 16There are a lot of little nuisances in this level; but one,
huge puzzle stands as the biggest obstacle. How do you get the
items out of the room where Erik steps on the pressure plate?
First, you need to get Erik and Olaf over to that section of the
level. Then you'll have to get the bomb and the key that are kept
in the small room to the right of the chasm (you'll have to use
Olaf to get them). Once you've gotten Olaf through the locked
doors on the bottom right side of the chasm, take the elevator
up, then bring Erik up out to the upper-left side of the chasm
where the pressure plate is. Make sure he's stepping on it before
you proceed with Olaf. Switch to Olaf, shrink down, walk all the
way to the left (in front of the cannon) and place the bomb. As
soon as it goes off and the crate is destroyed, run directly across
the line to the left, run into the room, grab the item and come
back out. Glide down to the bottom right platform and follow with
Erik before he gets killed by cannon balls.

Level 17This is another level filled with brain teasers, but one in
particular deserves some hard-core explaining; it involves the
balancing platforms. In order to exit the level, you'll need to
get Baleog all the way to the top of the screen. Here's a step-by-step
on how to get there. Step #1: Position Olaf on the stationary
platform on the right and Baleog to the bottom left of the balancing
platform. Step #2: Use Scorch to bring the left balancing platform
down, move Baleog onto it, move Scorch up. Step #3: Use Scorch
to fly up to the right balancing platform down. Step #4: Move
Olaf onto the platform with Scorch. Baleog should then be able
to walk over to the left, hit the diving board and land right
on top of the thick chain that Scorch can manipulate to bring
him over to the pressure plate.

Level 18As with the last, the key to this level is manipulating Baleog
correctly. First, get him up to the mast level of the ship. How
do you do this? Simple; all you have to do is manipulate the door
switches so that (a) Fang can go up to the left and bring down
the elevator and (b) Olaf can go up the same way and fart on the
necessary crates to clear the way for Baleog. Once he's up there,
you simply need to put him on top of Olaf's shield so he can hit
the necessary door switch with his arm.

Level 19There are a lot of puzzles in this level, but one deserves
explanation because it's deceptively easy. All you need to do
in order to get that elusive key is the following
Move Erik to the upper-right corner of the level onto the pressure
plate, move Scorch up to the left of Erik to activate the other
pressure plate that drops a stone beneath the key. Then use Baleog
to go up the elevator, walk over onto the stone and reach up to
grab the key.

Level 20There are two fundamental challenges here. The first is getting
access to the bouncing platforms. To do this, you simply need
to take Olaf to the second platform over from the starting screen
and have him glide off and down to the left. Shrink him down,
go into the teleporter, and you'll be beamed up on top of some
stones. Fart on them to come down and push the block off to the
right. This opens up the bouncing platforms for all three. The
second challenge is exiting the level with the balancing platforms.
Once you reach this room, remember to keep Baleog from dropping
down to the ground; if he falls, you won't be able to counter-
balance Olaf up on the left platform. Once Olaf is on the other
side, standing on the pressure plate, bring Baleog down to the
left platform, counterbalance him with Erik and you're all set.

Level 21In order to reach the final area of the game you've got to
do the following
Take the air stream up with Erik and hit the switch. Switch to
Olaf and take him up the air stream; fart on the bricks when you
reach the top. Bring Baleog up to the switch to the far right.
Switch to Olaf, shrink down, grab the bomb and give it to Erik.
Next, bring Erik down and blow up the wall to the right; as this
happens, be sure you've got Olaf pushing right on the block in
front of him to block the obstacle coming down.

Level 22The various moves needed to bring each character into this
level's later realms are sure to baffle even the most experienced
player, so here are some sure-fire pointers. Once you've crossed
the bed of spikes with Baleog and hit the necessary switches,
you need to get back across the bed and back in the teleporter.
The catch is that you'll need Olaf's help; he'll have to shrink
down and find his way to the balancing platforms where you'll
need to raise yourself up.

Level 23After swinging across three consecutive pegs with Baleog,
chances are that you've gone ahead with Fang and Erik and tried
to finish the level to no avail. You've got to get Baleog up to
the top of the screen and here's how you do it: After you've gone
past the three pegs (with the moving platform on the ground),
you must take the air stream up (with Erik) to the next platform
(below the teleporter skull). Move Erik left, over the poisonous
plant and onto the elevator. Bring it down and pick Baleog up.

Level 24So you've gone down the fiery cavern and made it to the balancing
platforms but you don't know what to do. Get Baleog on the left
side and Erik and Olaf on the right; then use Baleog's arm to
reach up and grab the bomb. Give it to Olaf to use on the wall
to the left. Then, using Olaf, go join Erik in the next room;
bounce him up next to the bridge. Then hit the red switch that
will lower the bridge, allowing Erik plenty of room to hit the
wall on the right.

Level 25Torch distribution is generally a problem; particularly in
this level, since there are two very dark places and only one
torch. I've found that the best thing to do is to give the torch
to Erik first. Let fang climb the walls and go to the right until
he goes into complete darkness. Let him walk for a second until
you hear a "click", then switch to Erik; you'll find
that you can go down into the water, come back up, kill the gorilla
and let Scorch in through the passage that was opened by Fang.
As you progress to the right, you'll find Fang unharmed.

Level 26As the game draws to a close, intricate timing becomes more
and more important. Level 26 has two prime examples of this. The
first occurs after Baleog and Erik come down the elevator and
free Olaf. The see-saw like thing on the bottom requires perfect
timing. The best thing is to put Olaf on the right side of the
thing and drop Baleog down on the left. Once airborne, you'll
need to dodge the fireballs and guide yourself to the item-filled
cavern. The second instance where precise timing is required comes
after this, with the tea-cups surrounded by lightning. Unfortunately,
the only sure-fire way to manage this is a gentle finger on the
D-pad and an even gentler finger on the jump button.

Level 27This time around, you not only have to control your guys with
intricate timing, but you've also got to deal with what is the
most brain-busting puzzle. Here's the problem
You need to send two Vikings up the air shaft without getting
shocked. At the same time, though, you need someone down below
controlling the electricity flow near the balancing platforms.
Send Erik and Olaf up the air shaft and use Fang (once he's turned
on the air shaft) to keep watch on the balancing platforms.

Level 28All right, time to cut to the chase. You're not getting anywhere
unless you know how to get your guys down into the thick of this
level. You've got to counterbalance Baleog so he can go off into
the air shaft first (this is the only way he can go). Get him
over to the right side, put him and Olaf in so they're even, then
jump in with Olaf. Walk Baleog immediately off to the right. Once
everyone's down, remember to use Olaf's shield for a running surface
so Erik can break that hard-to-reach wall.

Level 29Yet another expansive and very demanding level. This demands
perfect control of all your characters. And I mean PERFECT! To
start off, you'll need to get Scorch over to the right switch.
Then use Erik to explore the area, have him get the goods and
exit.

Level 30Olaf takes the left, Scorch takes the center, and Fang takes
the right. The next-to-last level is nothing if not big. The key
to success in this one is the following
You need to take Scorch through the center portal and do battle
with the (under?) boss. In order to beat him, you must kill the
baddies at the bottom of the screen and collect the bombs they
leave behind. Then go to the top of the screen, and drop the bombs
on the boss as he rises to chase after you; you'll have to do
it so the bombs deflect his path into the electric current. Once
he hits the current, he'll give up the key which is absolutely
vital to finishing the level.

Level 31The perfect end for such a huge and complex game. Start it
off with Olaf versus the Boss. Collect a bomb from him by hitting
the fire switch on the left. Then quickly shrink down, walk across
the blue platform and return to normal size. As he begins to ascend
up the chasm to your right, quickly jump across and drop the bomb
on his head; this will divert his path to the right. Quickly move
to the right and hit the fire switch so he runs into it and collect
the key he drops. The other boss encounter worthy of explanation
is when Fang and Scorch are stuck underneath the two blocks and
it appears that they'll be crushed. You need to run up with Olaf,
have him shrink down and hand something important to either of
the two...